The Patriarchate of Alexandria has officially released its response to a journalistic question of the Russian agency “News.ru” regarding the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in Africa, and more specifically in Kenya, where Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria recently made a pastoral visit.
The question to the Patriarchate is as follows: “The Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church has registered in Kenya. This became known only during the visit of His Holiness the Patriarch of Alexandria to Kenya. How does the Patriarchate of Alexandria perceive the activities of the Russian Church in Kenya? As well as the activity of the Russian Church in Africa in general. How does the Patriarchate of Alexandria feel about this? Thank you”.
Here is the answer of the Church of Alexandria:
“The Moscow Patriarchate, driven by extremely authoritarian tendencies to dominate the whole of Orthodoxy, wanting to rule unilaterally and destroying the entire theological and canonical tradition of the Orthodox Church, appeared in Africa cunningly, like a thief in the night, ignoring the centuries-old church institutions and the sacred canons of the whole Church under the sky. Above all, this reveals her own unhealthy spiritual course and the ecclesiological deviation from Orthodox accepted norms.
The actions of the Moscow Patriarchate outside the limits of its ecclesiastical jurisdiction inflict a wound on the fraternal, unanimous and blameless beginning of our Orthodox faith and certainly contribute negatively to the denigration of Orthodoxy. The Moscow Patriarchate, motivated also by the burdens of its traumatic past and the extremely selfish ways of acting from other times, is in a close embrace with the state and with the political aspirations of the rulers of the Russian state, which wants at any cost to create spheres of influence in Africa as well . History teaches us that the results of such a course are always very painful for the Orthodox Russian people.
The Patriarchate of Alexandria will continue to serve all of Africa, where the apostolic heritage, the sacred canons and history have assigned it, always with the suffering African people in mind and with the unshakable faith that the work of evangelization and the reconciliation of peoples will not stop because its roots are apostolic, and it is not an ephemeral, self-centered or power-hungry ecclesiastical-political game. For the Church of Alexandria, the African brother is a living and sacred image of God, not an impersonal being to be used, exploited and oppressed for one’s self-vindication.
From the office of the Patriarchate of Alexandria”.
